ahead and order so he gets a chance to eat something before his pilot calls—”
“Wait. I have to know. Come on, Sabrina,” he said, seeing the glacial expression Quinn was shooting her sister. “Tell me what you were about to say about Quinn, here.”
Her sister smiled unapologetically. “Just that Quinn was Eureka Roller Derby’s top jammer all three years she was on the team. She’s practically a legend.”
Now he couldn’t wipe the grin that stole across his face as he stared at Quinn, who, despite the murderous gleam in her eyes, was flushing profusely. He tried to imagine the practical, no-nonsense Quinn in the full Derby girl uniform, maybe some black fishnet stockings under a pair of tiny bike shorts, some bright striped socks or leg warmers over those shapely calves…a not entirely unattractive image. Hell, a quite enticing one.
“Do you think your parents might have some pictures of your sister during her heyday? I mean, I don’t think I could believe it unless I see it for myself.”
This time a booted foot smacked him square in the knee and he winced. Quinn smiled sweetly at him.
“Why, if it isn’t Quinn Taylor,” said a woman around Quinn’s age with short almost-black hair and a nose ring and wearing a shirt and apron with the moniker of the diner emblazoned across them. “I figured I might see you this weekend, what with the shindig you’ve got planned for your folks.”
The server looked over to him and her mouth went slack.
“Hello,” he said.
“Mandy, this is James Thornhill. My boss.”
The woman’s brows shot up. “How…chummy,” she said in a tone that made James feel as if he ought to come to Quinn’s defense.
“Yes, I’m afraid that while giving Quinn here a lift back home, my plane took a bit of a beating and needs some servicing. But I can assure you, after my lunch, the folks of Eureka will be rid of me and Quinn can enjoy her much-earned vacation.”
The woman nodded slightly but she still appeared skeptical.
“I’ll have the French toast with a side of bacon and a Coke Zero,” Quinn said tersely.
This seemed to bring the woman’s attention back to the task at hand, and she wrote down their orders and left them a minute later.
“Great,” Quinn said, giving her sister a disgruntled look. “Had you mentioned that Mandy works here, I wouldn’t have risked coming here. How long do you think we have?”
“With Mandy? We should probably head out now,” Sabrina said and laughed.
“Am I missing something?” James asked. “How long do you have until what?”
“This is a small town, James,” Quinn said patiently. “Not a lot happens here, and when it does, the news spreads like wildfire. And we just ran into the biggest gossip of them all.” She glanced around. “I don’t see her. She’s probably on the phone now. Should we try and beat it?” she asked Sabrina again.
“I’m still at a loss here.”
“Mandy no doubt is spreading the alarm that Quinn’s not only in town, but she’s here with…you. A guy being chauffeured around town in a fancy black car, who shows up in an outfit more appropriate to the Mexican Riviera than Eureka, Idaho, and who also dropped the fact he owns an airplane… That’s newsworthy here.”
“Well, it doesn’t exactly belong to me . It’s a company plane, you see.”
“Yes, I’m sure they’ll appreciate that distinction,” Quinn said wryly. “Anyhow, the idea was to surprise my parents with my arrival, and the longer we sit here, the more we risk that someone’s going to spill the beans I’m back in town—which won’t go over well if they hear it first from anyone else.”
“It also wouldn’t help that our mom’s a terrible cook and she takes a certain…umbrage that people might prefer the diner’s food to hers.”
“Which we do. So…should we head out?” Quinn repeated.
“On the other hand, you might as well enjoy the food while you can,” her sister said. “It might be the last
“Wait. I have to know. Come on, Sabrina,” he said, seeing the glacial expression Quinn was shooting her sister. “Tell me what you were about to say about Quinn, here.”
Her sister smiled unapologetically. “Just that Quinn was Eureka Roller Derby’s top jammer all three years she was on the team. She’s practically a legend.”
Now he couldn’t wipe the grin that stole across his face as he stared at Quinn, who, despite the murderous gleam in her eyes, was flushing profusely. He tried to imagine the practical, no-nonsense Quinn in the full Derby girl uniform, maybe some black fishnet stockings under a pair of tiny bike shorts, some bright striped socks or leg warmers over those shapely calves…a not entirely unattractive image. Hell, a quite enticing one.
“Do you think your parents might have some pictures of your sister during her heyday? I mean, I don’t think I could believe it unless I see it for myself.”
This time a booted foot smacked him square in the knee and he winced. Quinn smiled sweetly at him.
“Why, if it isn’t Quinn Taylor,” said a woman around Quinn’s age with short almost-black hair and a nose ring and wearing a shirt and apron with the moniker of the diner emblazoned across them. “I figured I might see you this weekend, what with the shindig you’ve got planned for your folks.”
The server looked over to him and her mouth went slack.
“Hello,” he said.
“Mandy, this is James Thornhill. My boss.”
The woman’s brows shot up. “How…chummy,” she said in a tone that made James feel as if he ought to come to Quinn’s defense.
“Yes, I’m afraid that while giving Quinn here a lift back home, my plane took a bit of a beating and needs some servicing. But I can assure you, after my lunch, the folks of Eureka will be rid of me and Quinn can enjoy her much-earned vacation.”
The woman nodded slightly but she still appeared skeptical.
“I’ll have the French toast with a side of bacon and a Coke Zero,” Quinn said tersely.
This seemed to bring the woman’s attention back to the task at hand, and she wrote down their orders and left them a minute later.
“Great,” Quinn said, giving her sister a disgruntled look. “Had you mentioned that Mandy works here, I wouldn’t have risked coming here. How long do you think we have?”
“With Mandy? We should probably head out now,” Sabrina said and laughed.
“Am I missing something?” James asked. “How long do you have until what?”
“This is a small town, James,” Quinn said patiently. “Not a lot happens here, and when it does, the news spreads like wildfire. And we just ran into the biggest gossip of them all.” She glanced around. “I don’t see her. She’s probably on the phone now. Should we try and beat it?” she asked Sabrina again.
“I’m still at a loss here.”
“Mandy no doubt is spreading the alarm that Quinn’s not only in town, but she’s here with…you. A guy being chauffeured around town in a fancy black car, who shows up in an outfit more appropriate to the Mexican Riviera than Eureka, Idaho, and who also dropped the fact he owns an airplane… That’s newsworthy here.”
“Well, it doesn’t exactly belong to me . It’s a company plane, you see.”
“Yes, I’m sure they’ll appreciate that distinction,” Quinn said wryly. “Anyhow, the idea was to surprise my parents with my arrival, and the longer we sit here, the more we risk that someone’s going to spill the beans I’m back in town—which won’t go over well if they hear it first from anyone else.”
“It also wouldn’t help that our mom’s a terrible cook and she takes a certain…umbrage that people might prefer the diner’s food to hers.”
“Which we do. So…should we head out?” Quinn repeated.
“On the other hand, you might as well enjoy the food while you can,” her sister said. “It might be the last
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